How To Make A Stomp Box & Electrify Cigar Box Guitars - NightHawkInLight

[@TheKingofRandom]

Cool project and choice sounds!

[@Nighthawkinlight]

Thanks Grant!

[@TheHockeysnipes27]

Omg hey grant!

[@lucasboisneau4256]

I watched it eating Teddy bear toast !

[@rcawesome4123]

Hey

[@GottliebGoltz]

+Grant Thompson - "The King of Random" Ditto.

[@InterWebGuy99]

Great video. Adding a stomp box to a cigar box slide guitar sound really enhances it and takes the whole song to another level. Thanks for providing this easy DIY video! Can't wait to build my own now.

[@MakeSomething]

This has been on my to-do list for ages. Great vid!

[@afoxinaviators4105]

I just recently started playing guitar and dayum am I jelly of those skills.

[@steelwind345]

Thank you very much for giving great close ups and explaining the electronics so well. Other online electronic projects go so quickly. Thanks for taking the time.

[@AggresivelyBenign]

You’re such a jack of all trades! So impressive

[@KI-zj5tt]

Commercially available stomp boxes have an input jack for the guitar, a volume control (that does not affect guitar volume) and output jack. Otherwise if your amp only has one input you can't amplify both the guitar and stomp box. That or you need an audio mixer with multiple inputs between the stomp box/guitar and amp. I haven't been able to find a wiring diagram that shows how to properly do this. From what I've read simply building a y connection in the stomp box may result in signal loss.

[@SpecificLove7]

Nice project. I love the variety of sounds!

[@electronicsNmore]

Nicely done! People pronounce "piezo" so many different ways. You say, "pee-zoh", some say "pie-zoh"(like me), others "pie - ee - zoh".

[@peterthompson8014]

I gotta try this!

[@radusegal]

I can feel the smell at 2:46 ahhh the good times !!

[@m.berrada3696]

you know it's toxic right ?

[@toothpick993]

If you add some little rubber stoppers to each corner it might help slip on the wooden floor or any slippery surface you may use it on :)

[@omnirath]

very beautiful project simple too and great music !

[@Nuno4Mettler]

Truly love your vids mate

[@henkeH2]

What a great project!

[@j-mac7401]

Exactly what I was looking for, Thanx brotha ✌️

[@nocarebear8301]

Nice Blueridge!

[@mehdi-9999]

nighth you lock awesome in this video

[@thegamingdragonryanjohanne8679]

you sure do some very interesting projects. really enjoy the vids.

[@benallen1173]

I love your channel so much!! Can't wait for summer to come so I can try a few of you projects. Thank you very much for posting all of these instructional and entertaining videos.

[@Nighthawkinlight]

+Ben Allen Thanks! Let me know if you do try any projects.

[@LivefreeanddiyTv]

Nice and simple project, thanks for sharing :)

[@cigarobsession]

It's a good thing Ashton makes sturdy boxes lol

[@joeysmith1586]

I enjoy watching your reviews but was not expecting to see you here lol

[@pspspsps1921]

What kind of socks are you using?

[@tomdaly1802]

cigar box socks

[@frankmccrystal746]

what foot do you recommend to use

[@jland12]

The same ones the Chili Peppers used to hide their junk on stage

[@matiasgoinheix366]

lol

[@behindthefirehouse7427]

Thanks for posting the wiring diagram!

[@dudeg6967]

It's not useful for me, but at least it's not Teddy Bear Toast

[@whitewalter499]

i think u comes from grants videi

[@whitewalter499]

+Dudeg6 ???

[@dudeg6967]

+Qadees Butt idk I didn't like my reply XD

[@gentcana143]

hahahahhahahahahhaha amazing comment "Healthy"

[@Nighthawkinlight]

+Dudeg6 I like toast.

[@andrewoverheid3883]

this is brilliant!

[@pankraftak1641]

Very nice project...simple and usefull :)

[@dgperforms1]

I use a Pre Amp and 3 Piezo's. Pretty Amp has volume and 3 Band EQ. Pizo's sound great with Pre Amp

[@MrTomPercival]

Nice! I'll be having a go at this!

[@HamishBrown3]

Great vid man cheers!

[@FatalFriction]

Thanks for this, going to give this a go :)

[@Dikvor]

I am surprised at how well the Piezoelectric Transducer picks up the sound of the wood, at first i thougt it would just act like a trigger and just create a tap-sound out of any kind of vibration but the scratching sounds were very cool!

[@Nighthawkinlight]

+Victor Bruynseels I was just as surprised the first time I used one. They're very sensitive.

[@LesTutosdUneMinute]

Nice

[@ROBwithaB]

Very nice.

[@WheatMeat]

Homemade banjo? That would be sick

[@MineTheSkyrimDimonds]

Could you make a drum kit with multiple of these, like if you used different materials in the enclosures?

[@alonmizrahi17]

Hey! Wat song did you use at 0:52??

[@cutelariamacedo7188]

very nice brother

[@mikeyoung4408]

I like your Soldering gun

[@ittooklongtomakethis]

add a few resistors in series with the pot?

[@julianvidal7361]

Regarding to your comment about the potentiometer not being as effective: one thing to consider too (in addition to the resistance) is the taper. There are "linear" and "audio" (logarithmic) tapers. In this case, using a linear pot might yield disappointing results. It's very easy to mistake one for another as the markings are not always the same and sometimes not even present. In my experience, pots marked with a "B" are linear. Just wanted to post this in case someone else is wondering. (really cool project, by the way, I'll give it a shot!)

[@jessiebullock]

Thumbs up just for the music you play at the beginning.

[@robertowens5295]

nice! thanks

[@buskerbuddy2108]

Looks and sounds cool, have you seen the new foot stomp, with 300 sounds from, SALGO foot drum plus ?

[@solkompleksowa444]

You can use a JFET trasistor buffer to decrease the output impedance and then use a pot as low as 100k!

[@logeyewill]

thanks A lot !

[@erickrocket]

I did some like that on my Washtub Bass. Radio Shack Transducer.

[@SeaCowsBeatLobsters]

Why does the soldering iron glow? Is there some sort of coil that is heated by the current?

[@Jhonny610]

Could you theorically amplify a drum kit with those transducers?

[@scott9701]

Haha, finally a use for all of my potentiometers!

[@bigmrfnB]

been watching your channel for some time like back in the fireworks days and I just learned your name is Ben

[@MichaelStoneham]

Just to say I have done some expirements using piezo disks, and old speakers. Old speakers work best and give a nice bass thump. Piezo disks are to trebley and high end. . The best one I have was using a subwoofer speaker from an old computer speaker set.

[@DaEpicPandaa]

Do you have the guitar tabs to these songs?? They sound awesome! I play guitar and would love to learn these! Thanks!

[@Nighthawkinlight]

+Clayton Mann Learn the Johnny Cash covers of Aint No Grave and Wayfaring Stranger. What I played was improvised but similar to those songs. Also Hard Time Killing Floor Blues

[@DaEpicPandaa]

NightHawkInLight Thanks! Keep up the good work!

[@BreadboardBasics]

If I remember correctly usually exponential decay potentiometers are used for volume control. That potentiometer is probably linear where the resistance varies linearly with the position of the knob. The exponential decay generally provides a more natural feeling when tuning volume. If the potentiometer you are using only starts to quiet the volume near the end of the sweep then the exponential decay potentiometer should fix the problem. There may be other methods of wiring the potentiometer that would be more effective even with just a generic 10kohm pot. Potentiometers in the meg range are fairly uncommon, but maybe the output impedence of the piezo is just extremely high.. I am not too familiar with them. Cool project btw!

[@mantasreika]

Hey man I love your music projects. Maybe you happen to be a Seasick Steve fan? You got few similarities with his guitars

[@rockywhelan]

Hey. Could you use two Piezos and wire them up to the one jack?

[@iloveramune8176]

Can you please do a video on quantum pinning levitation

[@emalinedelapaix]

Great. Going to give this a go. :)

[@todmarfuta]

Is there a certain amount of glue you use to attach the piezo?

[@gregorykuperman5396]

what style of music were you playing in the beginning of the video?

[@diao77723]

Whats the song you played at the beginning, would like to learn it

[@dominicscoines7075]

what was the piece you were playing at the very start of the video?

[@felixhaimson8921]

Dominic Scoines it was something by kopek, I think water song.

[@BendeleTech]

what soldering iron are you using? I want it!

[@albinriiserhuseby4920]

+Bendele Tech I think it is a gas powerd iron

[@Nighthawkinlight]

+Bendele Tech A cheap butane one

[@paulschoen4155]

that's a great lookin soldering gun, what make is it?

[@juancabrera-ru9jx]

Hello, what kind of cell soldering iron was that, it looked gas powered? Thank you!

[@Nighthawkinlight]

Yes a butane one. That one was from radio shack years ago, but you can find lots of similar ones from other brands. Google it and you'll find plenty

[@juancabrera-ru9jx]

@@Nighthawkinlight Thank you very much!

[@Spelter]

On which channel did you plug the box on your amp? FX Input? Or do i need a mixer between my head and box.

[@mcopado]

Hey, in the first bit of music on this video, were you playing "O Marie" by Daniel Lanois? Good job.

[@ramurel2006]

Thanks for it ! please tell me what size of piezo give more bass sound ? I have saw 3 different size and I believe maybe bigger sound more bassy, am I right ?

[@scyther1141]

great idea. Did you get some chip out when drilling the audio jack?

[@Nighthawkinlight]

+scyther1 I did. I tried drilling at first without clamping it properly.

[@scyther1141]

that's to bad :/ then again you keep it on the floor so you'll barely notice.

[@mattmiller8614]

did you put the transducer on the bottom or the top of the box?

[@Nighthawkinlight]

+Matt's Music & Tutorials On the underside of the top

[@mattmiller8614]

+NightHawkInLight Thanks.

[@HarryTarbox]

Are you from New Hampshire?

[@Dyxlesci]

You may want to add some EMI shielding (grounded metal shielding) to the inside of the box to prevent buzz. Also, if you had an input and an output jack, you could run it in series with you guitar so you only have to use one amp. Just be careful not to blow out your amp :D

[@Nighthawkinlight]

+Dyxlesci I haven't had issue with buzz from the box. The guitar however did need a ground wire coming off the bridge. I didn't think of running the box in series, that's interesting.

[@scott9701]

Does anyone know the first song he played, I wouldn't mind learning it, sounded great!

[@simpl456]

what genre of music is it that you play?

[@CorneliusSneedley]

If you don't want a recessed jack, you could always use a guitar endpin jack. By the way, "stomp box" could be considered a rather confusing term for this; it has already been in use for decades as a generic term for effects pedals.

[@seba145]

would what you played be considered delta blues?

[@Nighthawkinlight]

+Sebi Sebi Yeah more or less

[@miksedk]

excellent music taste Sir :-) ..\/

[@MrFree-vj8qj]

what happens if you use many piezo pickups wired together ? is the signal stronger or better, there is also piezo placement which affects tone, you may want to experiment moving it around before gluing it

[@sudhanshushridhar1850]

which drill bit u use

[@theregiment6236]

So if I put a piezo in the resonator of my banjo would the sound quality actually be the same just louder since it's coming out of an amp?

[@GrumpyTy34er]

Hey, two quick questions: 1) have you ever tried using a pre-amp circuit with your piezo? I know I've seen homemade pre-amp circuits made (such as the DIY contact mic on Make:'s channel by Collin's Lab). I know that can give you more volume control (and tone if wired properly). 2) have you ever gone back to using an old speaker as a microphone? I always think back to your first cigar box guitar video and I want to try it.

[@Nighthawkinlight]

I haven't tried making a preamp, that would be interesting. I still do have my guitar somewhere with the speaker pickup.

[@lm42ro]

what was he playing at the bigining?

[@heinzpeter644]

nice idea! btw: what song did you play?

[@Nighthawkinlight]

+Heinz Peter Kind of a mix of various Johnny Cash songs wrapped into one in the intro. The second song was a variation of Hard Time Killing Floor Blues.

[@heinzpeter644]

+NightHawkInLight thx, it did sound very nice

[@hasebase7227]

my father did make something like that and we hawe a band so it is realy cool In band we have guitars and pianos and some drums

[@gradyhollars6148]

wonder if it would work in a cajon... would it pick up on the snare sizzle??

[@Nighthawkinlight]

+Grady Hollars Yeah you could even put some snare wires in the stomp box and it would pick those up.

[@Illegally-Blind]

Great video, nice, simple, and informative, definately going to try this out! Is there a name for the song/s you were playing? They sounded great and I'd love to look them up

[@Nighthawkinlight]

+Gentleman Jack Improvised, but based on a mix of Johnny Cash and Skip James/Chris Thomas King

[@Illegally-Blind]

+NightHawkInLight Was it based on any specific songs? and was it tuned to DADGAD? it sounded very bass-ey

[@Nighthawkinlight]

+Gentleman Jack Just drop D. Similar to Aint No Grave and Wayfaring Stranger

[@Illegally-Blind]

+NightHawkInLight Alright thank you very much, I'll give it a go at trying to make something similar, have a nice day ^-^

[@dudeg6967]

Sick

[@DigantaBormedhiPraiseNWorship]

Amazing.... I play Harmonica and Guitar. Now i want play Harmonica, Guitar and Stomp together

[@flori8320]

Nice ! I think you could improve it by adding something that grip on the back so it doesn't slide on the floor ;)

[@arniekuma]

I wish this had talked a bit more about electrifying cigar box guitars. I'm having trouble seeing whether piezo or the normal magnetic pickups are better.

[@lordhelmchen100]

Great idea! Could you tell me, whats the genre of music youre playin in this vid and some good artists that play it? Thank you very much (y)

[@Nighthawkinlight]

+lordhelmchen100 It's a mix of blues and maybe rockabilly. Chris Thomas King and Johnny Cash are a good place to start.

[@SkullCollectorD5]

What genre of music are you playing here and your other guitar videos? I've heard that twangy sound before, and for some reason I associate it with Borderlands a lot.

[@Nighthawkinlight]

+SkullCollectorD5 I'm not the one playing during the instructional part of the video, but what you're looking for is slide guitar.

[@SkullCollectorD5]

Thanks a million! Off to find decent performers and tutorials.

[@zimbrafan1423]

Hey what style of music is he playing, its really cool xD

[@wanderinrambler6200]

Country blues or delta blues

[@thedankoona_5854]

04:25 thats for baking xD

[@serjoprot]

If I don't use the potentiometer, can I input directly in the sound card of my pc, and control the volume from Audacity?

[@Nighthawkinlight]

I wouldn't. Who knows what the piezo's max voltage may be and if it could damage a computer.

[@serjoprot]

NightHawkInLight Thanks man, I'm in the process of making a cigar box guitar myself, I'm going to post a video soon, thanks again!

[@Electroblud]

So why not put the pot in series with the piezoelectric transducer instead of a voltage divider configuration? Would that not work as well?

[@Nighthawkinlight]

+Maanuueel42 \m/(^_^) I put it in series first but tried changing it when it didn't work properly. The pot I have doesn't really work in either configuration with a piezo as you need one with significantly higher resistance as I mentioned.

[@Electroblud]

NightHawkInLight Oooohhh. wait, I just understood. a piezo generates charge, not voltage. so a resistor in series is mostly useless, since the charge will flow right through at an extremely low current anyways. This means the only viable option is a voltage divider (very high resistance, or there will not be any voltage to divide), or, if you wanna get fancy, an integrator circuit with output level control (op-amp with bypass cap and potentiometer at the output) Yaay, finally a little bit of my theoretical knowledge helped me in a practical case :D

[@Nighthawkinlight]

+Maanuueel42 \m/(^_^) Oh they also produce plenty of voltage. Some of them upwards of a few thousand volts if they're hit hard enough.

[@Electroblud]

NightHawkInLight well, yes, high charge means high voltage. But the mechanism producing the voltage is mechanical charge separation inside the piezo crystal. A magnet moving past some conductive coils (like in some microphone types) actually induces a voltage into the coils due to electromagnetic interaction, which then proceeds to separate charges and make a current flow. That's the opposite mechanism (although the result should be similar, since the type of microphones that use the sound as a power supply just cannot take any significant load). There are also capacitor microphones, which just measure a difference in capacity and transmit that as a signal. These actually need an external power source, but they deliver a very precise output signal.

[@drkastenbrot]

+Maanuueel42 \m/(^_^) Piezo Transducers do produce voltage. Not much current, but good enough for signals. Putting a pot in series for volume control is never a good idea, since the volume would depend on the amps input impedance.

[@JoaoPaulo-sk9of]

Nice socks :D

[@SathanaST]

Nearly 1,111,111 subscribers.

[@hopefulhyena3400]

Wish you had showcased how it sounded on the guitar.

[@srqet]

How can I add an input for my guitar.? I would like to plug both stomp box and guitar into one jack in my amp